Kevin Rudd

[nulla nulla]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Beerwin the real argument is not labor or liberal - both are appalling. Somebody called them the "Laborials". The question really is the state of the nation and if Howards years as leader was any good..

Federal Governments allocate funds to the states as set out in constitution and also there are many ways of allocating resources via way of Federal Government initiatives ie such as Roads to recovery" or computers in schools both of which are state issues.


Howard was more interested in Liberal Party ideology and his own survival as the new Bob Menzies than the welfare of Australian citizens. Even though the states were Labor they would have accepted grants to boost up things like education, health, environment etc. But there was none.

Howards role was to try and destabilise the labour State by bringing about public disenchantment with state gov'ts by reducing funds for things that people needed such as hospitals, roads etc.

Howard's ideology was that the government should not be involved in anything and all should be left up to 'private sector'.

For me, the Howards years at the best were lost opportunities when the economy would have allowed great leap forwards in things like education, and at worst was just a cynical grab and hold of power.

And let us not forget his efforts to dismantle medicare.

 

[Krusty the Klown]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Regardless of party politics, or whether you are a Labor or Liberal supporter, the fact of John Howard's statements is very indicative of his view of the Australian public.

He thinks we are all d*ckh#@ds.

It says more about how big his ego is than what the facts are.

He was lucky enough to be in power during the biggest economic boom in Australian history, not due to anything he, his policy or his government did.

He was lucky enough in the economic cycle that he did not experience a recession during his "reign". The economic and asset boom was due to global forces.

He did not have to cope with a one in a hundred year economic catastrophe, which required the injection of state funds - a basic principle of Keynesian economics which is what surpluses are there for.

Yet he thinks we will believe that the last two years of economic instabililty are due to the Labor Government?

He still thinks we will believe what he says because we are all morons.

After all, in 1996 he said the GST was "dead and buried" and then when elected one of his first acts was to start planning the implementation of the GST!

Then we still voted him in!!!

Is it any wonder that he still spouts this verbal diarrhoea and expects us to believe him.

History will be the judge.

P.S. I am not a Labor supporter, they are no different to him.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

I think Howard did a good job.

He could have done better.

He stayed too long.

gg

 

[namrog]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Nulla Nulla, don't talk crap for God sake, Howard is almost 70 is enjoying life. Would you be looking for a job at his age?

Next thing you will be saying give Gough a job!!!!

If the power hungry little thug had won the election, he'd still be working, wouldn't he ??

As long as the party wanted him ,off course..

 

[MrBurns]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Howard and Costello gave Rudd the money to hand out when we need it, TAKE NOTE - see how much is left when Krudd gets tossed out

 

[beerwm]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Regardless of party politics, or whether you are a Labor or Liberal supporter, the fact of John Howard's statements is very indicative of his view of the Australian public.

He thinks we are all d*ckh#@ds.

It says more about how big his ego is than what the facts are.

He was lucky enough to be in power during the biggest economic boom in Australian history, not due to anything he, his policy or his government did.

He was lucky enough in the economic cycle that he did not experience a recession during his "reign". The economic and asset boom was due to global forces.

He did not have to cope with a one in a hundred year economic catastrophe, which required the injection of state funds - a basic principle of Keynesian economics which is what surpluses are there for.

Yet he thinks we will believe that the last two years of economic instabililty are due to the Labor Government?

He still thinks we will believe what he says because we are all morons.

After all, in 1996 he said the GST was "dead and buried" and then when elected one of his first acts was to start planning the implementation of the GST!

Then we still voted him in!!!

Is it any wonder that he still spouts this verbal diarrhoea and expects us to believe him.

History will be the judge.

P.S. I am not a Labor supporter, they are no different to him.

these global forces you talk about put other advanced economies around the world in massive billion/trillion dollar deficits. Australia surplus.

when the squeeze came...
did you think our banks didnt implode.... just by coincidence?

I dont know really know what infrastructure everyone in this thread actually wanted from the Howard government?
is it the debt.burdening-future.tax.hike infrastructure that Rudd is giving us now... or maybe the broadband network that doesnt quite add up?

no tax, no debt or infrastructure, you cant have it all.

 

[noco]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Yes, due to the pathetic legacy of John Howard, I expect to bo working in my 70's (if i should be fortunate to live so long).

No, imo Gough has done more than enough to be entitled to enjoy his retirement.

Gough had three disastruos years as Pm, almost wreaked the country and got the sack. Well done Gough!

You most likely will have to work untill your 70 if our fearless leader keeps raising the pension age.

I guess the latest poll tells all. The honeymoon is finaly over as more and more people wake up to Rudd's spin.

Rupert Murdoch comments Rudd is thin skined and more interested in ruling the world instead of Australia. Rudd's stimulas package was a "ME TOO" stunt to follow other countries who were in greater financial difficulties than Australia. No doubt Rudd was left a very healthy bank account and could have executed the same effect with half the money he wasted.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Gough had three disastruos years as Pm, almost wreaked the country and got the sack. Well done Gough!

You most likely will have to work untill your 70 if our fearless leader keeps raising the pension age.

I guess the latest poll tells all. The honeymoon is finaly over as more and more people wake up to Rudd's spin.

Rupert Murdoch comments Rudd is thin skined and more interested in ruling the world instead of Australia. Rudd's stimulas package was a "ME TOO" stunt to follow other countries who were in greater financial difficulties than Australia. No doubt Rudd was left a very healthy bank account and could have executed the same effect with half the money he wasted.

I'd agree with those sentiments and your assessment of Whitlam, Noco, mate.

gg

 

[moXJO]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Howard is right either way though. Rudd has done nothing but symbolic gestures. I would rather some form of economic management, instead of the current system of "here's another handout so spend spend spend".

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Howard is right either way though. Rudd has done nothing but symbolic gestures. I would rather some form of economic management, instead of the current system of "here's another handout so spend spend spend".

I feel sorry for Kev07 sitting up tonight in his jammies, reading all the crap we are dealing out to him.

He won't sleep well tonight and will be very very grumpy in the morning when the ABC National AM Radio lefties come to rescue him from that orrible little man Johnnie.

gg

 

[Julia]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Trouble is Australia's infrastructure roads/health/environment/education/research and development etc went backwards during the Howard years.

You're quite right about this.

There was no real vision for a prosperous, creative intelligent country that put it's faith in it's people. Just smash the unions, dig up the resources and ship it to whoever.

It was time the unions were relieved of some of their power, but the Libs went too far.
Nothing wrong with digging up resources and selling it profitably.
I can't see why you'd be critical of this.
Rudd is going to be dependent on a similar boom resource-wise to get him out of trouble.

One simple example is of Australia a cronic lack of skilled tradespeople. Howard's (and others) solution - was not to beef up the Tafe system with great bonuses to people that would train school leavers etc but to import sub-standard workers.

I haven't noticed a deficit of tradespeople to nearly the extent that there is a deficit of health professionals. This was partly due to the Libs withdrawing some funding from the universities, but also due to the medical Colleges being unwilling to provide supervision for trainee specialists.

Has Labor increased funding to universities, and if so by what percentage?

Nothing was achieved to fix the immense problem of the Murray/Darling river system - Australia's food bowl. Howard's solution was to open the flood gates of cheap, poor quality food from 3rd world countries.

I don't know enough about the Murray Darling system to comment, but I'm all in favour of importing good quality food from overseas. If Australian producers can't keep up and be competitive they don't deserve the sale.
I remember last year in the peak of the local asparagus season there were two lots of asparagus on sale: one was top quality, very fresh, about $1 per bunch. This was from South America. The other was stringy and stale, double the price, from a grower in the same State. Only an idiot would buy the local product. If we don't import to provide competition, prices and quality will both suffer.

Our Universites are in a long decline of standards and quality of graduates. Ask any Uni Professor. Howards solution was to force Uni's to import fee paying OS students in huge numbers at the expense of teaching Aussie students..
Where was the action on being a smart country when public schools/Tafe and Universities are neglected and funding reduced year after year.

Absolutely valid criticism.

Yes Julia it was a healthy surplus but one built on the decline of our great countries infrastructure.

So do you think it was more useful for Mr Rudd to spend much of that surplus on handouts to be spent on nothing in particular, just to provide a short term spike in the figures, when he could have instead funded some much needed genuine infrastructure? Funds that could have built more hospitals e.g. are being spent on school assembly halls that no one wants. Just talk to a few teachers and principals of the schools.

I am not an ALP hack - both parties have a similiar stench of self opinionated hypocracy.

Sadly, you are right. So it often comes down to a question of personalities, I suppose, along with a few policy decisions.

And of course his persistant efforts in undermine and erradicate the collective bargaining power of workers through their right to join unions.

Well overdue to diminish the power of the unions.

And let us not forget his efforts to dismantle medicare.

What were his efforts to dismantle medicare specifically?
It still seems to be more or less functional except for measures such as the Rudd governments recent woeful decision to cut funding for cortisone injections from the PBS. Many very young and very old arthritis sufferers depend on these to function.
This sort of move is the basis of my objection to the $900 handouts.
The amount has to be clawed back somehow, and this is the first of the essential services to get the chop to that end.

Howard is right either way though. Rudd has done nothing but symbolic gestures. I would rather some form of economic management, instead of the current system of "here's another handout so spend spend spend".

Agree, especially about the symbolic gestures, e.g. the Apology, Kyoto etc.
Nothing has changes but it all sounded pretty damn good at the time to the fans.

 

[beerwm]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

He thinks we are all d*ckh#@ds.

This is mostly true anyway,

most people base their vote on a 30 second ad, regarding worker's rights or something like climate change.

Kyoto was one that confirms this, the Liberal targets were in line with Kyoto reductions, the reason they didnt sign it was due to its overall failure - US/China being excluded.

but the public sees this as a sign of climate change skepticism.

same can be said with the current ETS.

 

[dbcok]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Mr Howard has been remarkably quiet since leaving, in contrast to some other ex-Prime Ministers.
Julia I think that you have your blinkers and earmuffs on!We all have selective hearing
Just one example-after Downer resigned he had his input ino who he preferred as the candidate to replace him in Mayo.The media have been kind to John Howard.His whole life has been politics and he is unable to stop now.

 

[condog]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

Howard was fantastic

Rudd will monster himself with poor decisions and spin doctoring

Pacific Solution - success or failure

Nationwide awards - sounds like workchoices tarted up

New ports ??? highway upgrades ???? railway upgrades to boost capacity ??? hospital upgrades ????

The only things we have so far from the biggest spending Govt in Aus history is an NBN we dont even know if we need it or not, and school buildings that are 3 times the cost they should be, because they are all being done at once.

Whitlam's economic management may well look good by the time Rudds finished.

 

[Tink]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

If the power hungry little thug had won the election, he'd still be working, wouldn't he ??

As long as the party wanted him ,off course..

Yep, the public was so upset with the Liberals that they got wiped out - federal and state. The public spoke.

I am a swinging voter, but HoWARd annoyed me at the end.

I got no interest.

 

[nulla nulla]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

If he is so good, maybe they should trot Johny out for the next Federal Election. If that doesn't work they could dig up Menzies.

 

[Tink]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

You're think about Bush.

As with Howard, you should of said He should practice his cricket bowling instead

No, someone threw a shoe at Howard just like they did to Bush

 

[Timmy]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

No, someone threw a shoe at Howard just like they did to Bush

Yep - story here:
John Howard has become the latest high profile politician to have a shoe thrown at him

 

[moXJO]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

And of course his persistant efforts in undermine and erradicate the collective bargaining power of workers through their right to join unions.

The unions... Where are they now?
All trying to keep in line, and follow Rudd’s bs in spite of:
Pension age rises
Rudd’s own abuse of staffs rights
Working families being worse of under Rudd with increase of electricity, food and services due to upcoming ets.
And the possibility of mining jobs (and many others) getting shafted due to ets (prime union territory I would have thought)

While the unions are made more obsolete under liberals they are fully undermined by federal labor. At least they had some sort of voice before when the govt started shafting us. Perhaps they are just waiting for the Gillard solution.

 

[Krusty the Klown]

Re: Howard monsters Rudd

To be fair, let's look at some facts:

John Howard was in power for 12 odd years (correct me if I'm wrong).

Kevin Rudd has been in power for 2 years.

And Johnny is criticising Rudd because he has not completed 12 years worth of work in 2 years?

In terms of the Liberal surplus that has now gone in to deficit, the current liberal party wanted to put us in to a deficit also to deal with the GFC. So why is this a valid argument? Johnny would have done the same.

Seriously, besides the GST, what is it that Johnny supposedly achieved? And bear in mind I don't count the surplus as this was due to the increase in tax revenue from exports which were beyond his control and would have happened regardless of who was in power at the time.